Invalid chair



w. c. ROE

INVALID CHAIR Filed Nov. 1, 1944 Sept. 9, .1947.

- INVENTOR.

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Patented Sept. 9, v1947 UNITED' PATENT OFFICE William C. Roe, Elyria, one, assignor to The Colson Corporation, El'yria, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio ApplicatienN'ovember 1, 1944, Serial No. 561,351

(filled-30) Claims.- 1

My invention relates to invalid wheel chairs and. more particularly to an improvement in such chairs that prevents inadvertent movement thereof especially when the user enters or leaves the chair.

It is an object of my invention to provide safe, conveniently used, Wheel chairs of simple, rugged construction which may be fabricated quickly and economically.

A further object is to provide wheel chairs of such construction that a patient on crutches, or otherwise suffering from an infirmity, may conveniently and safely approach the chair and seat himself, or may leave the chair without danger of having the chair move while attempting to seat himself or leave the chair.

Another object is to provide an invalid chair, having a foot board so mounted and supported relative to the chassis as to be depressible into braking contact with the floor either by arbitary application of pressure thereupon or as an incident to the natural entrance into or egress from the chair, all without hazard. of tipping the chair or causing it to have any undesirable involuntary movement.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a wheel chair having a footlooard upon which the patient may step safely and with ease, and in which stepping upon the footboardprevents the chair from rolling.

Another object is to provide an improved footboard assembly and mounting.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent as the description procoeds.

I-n carrying out the invention in its preferred form, a wheelchair construction is employed having a chassis with side rods which extend downwardly and forwardly alongside the position of a footboard; The side rods are so arranged as to support a footboa-rd pivotally, close to the floor on which the wheel chair stands. Spring means are provided for normally holding the footboard slightly away from the floor, but permitting the footboard to have frictional contact with the floor as soon as the patient steps upon the footlooard in order to seat himself or when leaving the chair. The frictional contact of the footboard upon the floor prevents the rolling of the chair.

A better understandingv oi the invention will be afforded. by the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Fig; I is a partial 2 sidevi'ew of a wheel chair forming embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View, particularly showing the footboard of the chair and certain other portions of the chair, and representing in part a section seen from above cut by aplane 2-2 indicated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3- is a fragmentary side view representing in parta section cut by a plane 3 3, indicated' in Fig. 2, the view being represented as seen looking in a direction of the arrows in Fig.

Like reference characters are utilized throughout the drawing to designate like parts.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the wheel chair shown by way of illustration preferably comprises a tubular-frame chassis carrying various conventionalparts such as a seat I t, a back [2, an arm F3; 21; pair of mail-iwheels or large front wheels, only one of which namely the wheell t away from the observer is shown to avoid confusing the drawing, and a pair" of swiveled' rear wheels is. The chassis frame preferably includes a pair of curved downwardly and forwardly extending tubular side rods H3 which are held together by cross rods such as rods I l, F8 I 9; preferably welded at the ends to the curved side rods I6 Each of'the siderods i=6 has-a lower forwardly extending portion 21 A footboard; which will be diseussectirr greater detail in connection with Figs. 2 nd- 3; is supported between the lower portions Zi of the side rods i 6 The cross rod L9 is bowed or bent as illustrated in Fig. 22 For securing the main or large front wheels 14 to the chassis suitable means are provided such as straps 22 welded to" rods t6 to carry a shaft 23 02 1 the wheels 4 are journaled.

Referring more particularly to- Fig. 2, there is a, footboard assembly including a: pair of suit able: side members such as side irons 2d; pivotai ly secured to the cross rod #9 of the chair frame, Two cross members 25* and 26 are welded or otherwise secured tothe lower edges or. the side irons 24 and a. wooden or fabricated rootboard 21 forming the actual foot rest is secured tel the remainder of the assembly so as tor'e'st upon the cross members 25' and 215.

For enabling the footlooard assembly to engage the floor irrationally when the footb'oa'rd is depressed; a. pair of pads 28 is secured to the under portion" of the" footboard' assembly; For example, the pads 28 may be fastened by means or brackets: as to the forward ends of the side irons 21 as illustrate-din- Fig. 3;. The pads 28 V lustrated. The vplaci may be composed of rubber or other suitable friction material. For normally holding the floor pads or cushions '28 out of contact with the floor represented by the line 3 I, suitable means are provided such as a counterweight, springs or the like, represented in the embodiment illustrated, by leaf springs 32 fastened to the undersides of the lower ends 2| of the chassis side frame tubes [6. The leaf springs 32 are preferably of the composite or multiple leaf type consisting of a plurality of separate strips as spring steel, including a long strip 33 with a curved end, and other successively shorter strips represented by strips 34 and 35, all the strips being bolted or otherwise secured at the forward end thereof, for example, by means of screws 36, to the under-sides of the tube ends 2|.

The cross members 25 of the footboard assembly are of sufficient length to extend beyond the members 2|. Moreover, the spring strips 33 are slightly curved and so assembled that the ends of the cross members 25 fit under the members 2| and over the curved portion of the spring strip ends, whereby the leaf spring 32 tends to urge the cross member'25 upwardly against the lower edge of the member 2i, which thereby serves as a limit stop. The cross member 26 may, also, be of such length as to provide an additional limit stop by engaging the forward part of the under edges of the members 2|. It is to be understood that the stiffness of the springs 32 is preferably such as to support the weight of the footboard assembly and the occupants feet, lower legs, etc., when he is seated in the chair, but to yield readily when he desires to seat himself in the chair or rises from the chair and places his weight upon the footboard. For that matter it is my preference that the springs 32 keep the pads 28 out of contact with the floor under normal conditions of chair occupancy, but permit contact as when the board is stepped upon by the occupant or attendant.

The invention is not limited to the utilization of a particular construction for the pivotal securement of the footboard assembly to the wheel chassis or frame. However, I have found that the entire assembly may be fabricated and assembled economically and conveniently by forming the side irons 24 with upwardly curved rear ends having hook portions 31. For receiving the hook ends 31 of the side irons 24, the cross tube 19 is provided with a pair of slots 33. It will be observed that each hook portion 31 includes a button or locking portion 39, which may readily be inserted in the slot 38 during the manufacturing operations before the springs 32 have been secured in place, and before the downward motion of the side irons 24 has been limited by the spring 32 and by placing the chair upon the floor 3|.

In order to facilitate the seating of a patient who is utilizing crutches, or is for some other reason uncertain on his feet, it is desirable that the footboard 2'! remain nearly parallel to the floor line 3| in its upper and lower positions. Accordingly, it is preferable to utilize a comparatively long radius for the pivoting of the footboard assembly. For this reason, the side irons 24 are preferably made relatively long, and the pivot point represented by the position of the slots 38 in the cross tube I9 is preferably behind the main wheel axle 23. To accomplish this conveniently the cross tube I?! may be bowed as ilng of the footboard pivot is advantageous also from of suitable material such the standpoint of preventing any possibility of the wheel chair being rocked when weight is placed upon the footboard so as to transmit a downward force to the pivots in the cross-tube l9. Preferably the strength of the leaf springs 32 will be made such that the turning moment required to depress the footboard will be less than the stabilizing moment represented by the weight of the wheel chair acting at its center of gravity with respect to a pivot in the vertical plane of the main wheel axle 23.

In Fig. 3 certain portions of the footboard assembly have been represented by full lines to indicate the normal raised position of the footboard, that is the position to which it is urged by the leaf spring 32, and the same portions have been shown also by dashed lines to indicate the position assumed when the patient steps upon the footboard 24 so as to cause the floor pad or cushion 28 to contact the floor. Thus the footboard 21, the side irons 24, the cross member 25, the longest strip spring 33 of the leaf spring 32, the cushion supporting bracket 29, and the floor pad or cushion 28, are all represented by full lines in the drawing to show the normal raised position; and they are represented by dashed lines and primed numerals when in the depressed position assumed when a patient steps upon the footboard. It will be observed that the pad or cushion 28, when it assumes the position 28, is in direct contact with the floor. Since the patients weight is then borne by the footboard, substantially the same amount of friction is applied to the floor as applied to the floor by patients feet and crutches before he approaches the footboard, so that there is no danger of the footboard slipping, and the wheel chair rolling away as the patient attempts to seat himself upon the wheel chair or attempts to leave the wheel chair as he steps upon the footboard.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form and embodiment of my invention, modifications, changes and improvements therein will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the precepts hereof, and I do not care to be limited in the scope of my patent to the form herein specifically disclosed nor in any manner other than by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In an article of furniture, tubular side rods forming a frame, a tubular cross rod joining said side rods, said cross rod having a pair of slots therein, and a footboard assembly comprising a pair of hooked, bent end side irons, having hooked portions fitting the slots in said cross rod, a footboard secured to said side irons whereby the footboard is pivotally secured to the frame, and spring means connected to the frame and to said side irons and resiliently supporting the latter in pivotal relation to said cross rod.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the tubular side rods extend downwardly and horizontally, and said means comprising spring members carried by said side rods for normally lifting the footboard against said downwardly extending horizontal portions of the side rods.

3. A wheel chair comprising in combination, a chassis with a downwardly and forwardly extending portion terminating in laterally spaced members extending forwardly adjacent the floor, wheels secured to the chassis adapted to rest upon a floor, a footboard pivotally secured to the chassis and lying between said members in a position slightly above the floor, springs connected to said members and acting upon said footboard to resiliently lift the footboard and stops carried by the footboard and engageable with said members for limiting the upper position of the footboard to a position slightly above the floor.

4. In a wheel chair the combination of an axle, members spaced longitudinally of andsupported by said axle adjacent opposite ends thereof and having parts extending forwardly of said axle spaced from the ground upon which the chair rests and lying substantially parallel therewith and with each other, a footboard disposed between said parts and movable relative thereto, means pivotally supporting said footboard about a center disposed below and not substantially forward of said axle, leaf springs secured to the underside of each of said parts at the forward ends thereof and extending rearwardly thereunder, and means carried by said footboard and engaged by said springs adjacent the rearward ends thereof, said means being urged to contact with the underside of said parts by said springs whereby to limit the upward movement of said footboard while permitting downward movement under the yielding resistance of said springs.

5. In a Wheel chair the combination of an axle with main front wheels at the ends thereof, a frame carried by said axle and having its forward end extending forwardly beyond and downwardly below said axle, swingable foot supporting means pivotally supported at its rearward end behind and above the forward end of said frame not substantially forward of said axle and said means extending forwardly near the floor upon which said wheels have contact, said means having a part engageable with the forward end of said frame upon pivotal movement of said means away from the floor, spring means connected to the forward end of said frame and engaging said part of said first named means tending to maintain contact between said part and the said forward end of said frame and said spring means yielding under the load of a person stepping on said first named means to permit the latter to swing into contact with the floor.

WILLIAM C. ROE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,339,361 Sill -et al. Jan, 18, 1944 1,668,493 Dawes May 1, 1928 2,182,915 Connolly Dec. 12, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,831 England Nov. 9, 1915 

